Schools to offer summer lunches

The Madison and Southwestern school corporations will offer free lunches to children during the summer.

The Clearinghouse of Jefferson County, Gleaners and Southwestern Schools will provide meals in a Summer Meals for Kids program.

Nearly 700 children in the Hanover area use free or reduced school meals during the school year.

"In the summer, though, they lose access to school meals. This puts a greater financial burden on families throughout the community, and forces many children to go hungry for extended periods of time," according to a Gleaners press release.

At Southwestern meals will be delivered on buses provided by Southwestern Schools to four locations in the school district. Meals will be served on the bus. The buses will come in the early afternoon in the hopes that more children are available at that time.

The program will run for nine weeks, from June 3 through Aug. 2.

Madison Schools also will provide free lunches over summer break. Lunch will be served at Lydia Middleton and E. O. Muncie elementary schools. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to noon every weekday in June.

This is the first year that Madison is offering the service.

Judy Brooks, food services director for Madison Consolidated Schools, said they wanted to be able to offer anyone 18-years-old or younger a good lunch during the summer.

"We hadn't done it and we wanted to try it this year," she said.

"All they've got to do is walk in and get a free meal."

Because of the service at E. O. Muncie and Lydia Middleton, there will not be any meals served through Gleaners at the Brown Gymnasium this summer.